Door latch operating mechanism



June 19, 1956 J, MOCONNELL DOOR LATCH OPERATING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed March 8, 1952 INVENTOR. FkwN/r 7.770 (EA/M524 4%%q HT'TOPNZKJune 19, 1956 Filed March 8, 1952 F. J. M CONNELL DOOR LATCH OPERATINGMECHANISM 2 Sheets$heet 2 INVENTOR. FK HA/lr Z/YC'CO/V/Vll United StatesPatent DOOR LATCH OPERATING MECHANISM Frank J. McConnell, New Britain,Conn., assignor to The American Hardware Corporation, New Britain,Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application March 8, 1952, SerialNo. 275,618 Claims. (Cl. 292-358) This invention relates to a door latchoperating mechanism and more particularly to the provision, in such amechanism, of a novel thrust washer for retaining the rotatableactuating members, or knob spindles, within said mechanism and againstaxial movement with respect thereto.

The invention disclosed herein is embodied in a door latch operatingmechanism of the cylindrical type, such as shown and described in theco-pending application of Leland H. Fisler et al., Serial No. 269,168,filed January 31, 1952, which is insertable into a hole extendingthrough the face of a door and cooperates with a latch unit that extendsinto said hole from the edge of the door and contains a latch bolt whichis connected to and operated by the retractor, forming a part of thesaid mechanism, in a conventional manner well known to those skilled inthe art.

In many of the cylindrical door latch operating mechanisms heretoforeproduced, the rotatable knob spindles are secured against removal fromthe mechanism either by stamping from each of said spindles a smallradially projecting lug, which engages a wear plate through which thespindle extends, or by providing the spindle with a circumferential slotwhich receives a finger projecting from a stationary portion of themechanism. In mechanisms utilizing the first mentioned construction, theoutward pull, or thrust, exerted on the spindle is resisted byengagement of the lug with the wear plate, but the inward thrust wasresisted by the engagement of the end of the spindle with a movableelement of the mechanism, such as the retractor or the opposite spindle,thereby resulting in a binding action when an inward force is exerted onthe spindle as it is being rotated.

In either of the above mentioned constructions, the relatively thinmaterial forming the spindle provides the thrust bearing surface and, asa result, the said surface is subjected to excessive wear and therebyshortening the useful life of the mechanism.

An object of this invention is to provide a thrust hearing, for therotatable knob spindle of a door latch operating mechanism, throughwhich the axial thrust exerted on the spindle in either direction isresisted and which assures easy operation of the mechanism and a strongand durable spindle retainer.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a door latchoperating mechanism wherein the rotatable knob spindles are journaled inbushing members of a suitable bearing material and, in addition, areprovided with thrust bearing members which engage stationary portions ofthe mechanism to retain the spindles therein and resist the axial thrustapplied thereto.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a doorlatch operating mechanism in which the rotatable knob spindles areprovided with thrust bearing members which prevent axial movement of thespindles and engagement thereof with the movable elements of themechanism.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a Patented June 19,1956 thrust bearing member and retainer, for a rotatable knob spindle,which permits angular movement of the spindle relatively thereto toprevent binding or seizing of the bearing member if said spindle shouldbe out of alignment therewith.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will be more clearlyunderstood from the following description and the accompanying drawingsin which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly in central horizontal section illustratingthe construction of the door latch operating mechanism and the thrustwasher contained therein.

Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in central vertical section, furtherillustrating the thrust washer and its association with the door latchoperating mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a sectional end view of said mechanism, on line 33 of Fig. 2,further illustrating the thrust washer.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the mechanism, partly in section,illustrating the manner in which the thrust washer is secured to therotatable knob spindle.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the knob spindle and thrust washer,illustrating, in an exaggerated manner, the relative positions of theparts when the knob spindle is misaligned.

Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the door latchoperating mechanism, illustrating some of the parts and the relativepositions which they occupy in the said mechanism.

Fig. 7 is an end view of the thrust washer and knob spindle illustratingthe manner in which they are assembled.

My novel thrust bearing is incorporated in a door latch operatingmechanism of the cylindrical type, such as shown and described in theabove mentioned co-pending application and which includes a casing,generally indicated at 5, that carries and supports the latch operatingmechanism. The end walls of the casing are provided by an inner endplate 6 and an outer end plate 7 having integral tubular sleeves 8 and 9extending respectively therefrom; the end portions 8-a and 9-a,respectively, of each of said sleeves being of a reduced diameter.

Each of the end plates 6 and 7 is provided with oppositely disposedpairs of horizontal slots 10 for the reception of similarly positionedcars 11 which project from the inner and outer sides, respectively, ofthe legs of a retractor guide 12 in the form of a U-shaped member thatis positioned between the plates 6 and 7. Each of the cars 11 isprovided with a notch 13, which receives the forward edge 10-a of itsrespective slot 10 to thereby secure the end plates and retractor guidein proper position and prevent axial movement of said plates relativelyto the guide.

The retractor guide is further provided with lugs 14 and 15 whichproject laterally from the inner and outer sides of the guide and engagethe end plates to space said plates from the sides of the retractorguide as clearly illustrated in Fig. l.

A suitable retractor 16 is slidably mounted in the retractor guide andis biased outwardly with respect thereto by spring means, not shown, ina manner well-known to those skilled in the art.

A bushing 17 of a suitable material, such as bronze or the like, ispositioned within the inner end of each of the sleeves 8 and 9 and isnon-rotatably secured therein by means of a tab 18 which projectsinwardly from each of said sleeves into a slot 19 extendinglongitudinally through each of said bushings. Movement of the bushingsaxially of its respective sleeve is prevented by means of a finger 20which is bent inwardly from the sleeve into a notch 17-a in the end ofsaid bushing.

The bushing 17 in the inner sleeve 8 and in the outer sleeve 9 rotatablysupports the inner end of a tubular knob spindle 21. Each of saidspindles carries a knob 22 having a tubular shank 23 thereon whichextends over the spindle and into the reduced end portion of the sleeveto thereby provide a bearing for the outer end of the knob spindle. Theknobs 22-22 are retained on their respective spindles 21 by a suitablespring-pressed knob retainer 24 that is carried by the spindle andextends radially therefrom into a notch in the knob shank as clearlyshown and described in the above mentioned co-pending application.

Each of the spindles 21 has a segmental portion 25 projecting from itsinner end into the casing S, and the opposite edges of said segmentalportion are bent generally radially outwardly beyond the periphery ofthe spindle to provide rollback portions 26-26 which engage rollbackplatforms 16a-16a on the retractor 16 to both limit the outward movementof the retractor and cause retraction thereof when the spindle isrotated.

The inner end of each spindle is provided with notches 27-27 adjacentthe rollback portions 26-26 and said notches extend behind the rollbackportions as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The inner end of each of the spindles 21 carries an annular thrustwasher 28 having an opening 28a therethrough which receives the innerend of the spindle. Each of the washers 28 has a pair of oppositelydisposed radially projecting lugs 29-29 thereon which extend from theedge of the opening 28-(1 into the notches 27-27 in the end of thespindle to prevent movement of said spindle, relatively to the washer,in an inward direction. Movement of said spindle relatively to thewasher in an outward direction is prevented by the rollback portions26-26 which extend beyond the edge of the opening 28a and over thesurface of the washer. Said lugs are shorter than the notches 27-27 topermit assembly of the washers to the spindle as will be hereinaftermore fully described. It will be noted from Figs. 1, 2 and 3 that theupper and lower portions of the washers 28-28 extend into the spacesbetween the end plates 6 and 7 and the adjacent sides of the upper andlower legs on the retractor guide 16 whereby axial movement of saidwashers relatively to the casing is prevented. Said washers are,however, free to rotate in said spaces to permit rotation of thespindles 21-21 and operation of the retractor 16.

g It will thus be understood that the spindles 21-21 are retainedagainst inward and outward axial movement by the lugs 29-29 and therollback portions 26-26, respectively, since the thrust washers 28-28are confined against axial movement in the spaces between the sides ofthe retractor guide 12 and the inner surfaces of the end plates 6 and 7.

The cylindrical latch operating unit above-described is assembled in thefollowing manner: A thrust washer 28 is assembled onto each of thespindles 21 by turning said spindle relatively to the washer to theposition illustrated in Fig. 7 and then passing the rollback portions26-26 thcreon through the opening 28-11 in said washer. The Washer andspindle are then manipulated to position one of the lugs 29 on saidwasher in its notch 27 in the spindle and said washer is then pivotedabout the point of contact of said lug with the bottom of the notch 27to bring the opposite lug into the opposite notch, as the distanceacross the bottoms of the notches 27 in the segmental extension 25 isless than the distance between the closest points of the lugs 29-29. Thespindle is then compressed slightly and is inserted into the hole in thewasher to thereby position said washer on the spindle as illustrated inFig. 4.

One of the spindles is then inserted through each of the sleeves 8 and 9on the inner and outer end plates 6 and 7, respectively, until thewasher thereon engages the inner surface of said plate. It will beunderstood that it is necessary to depress the knob retainer 24 with asuitable tool in order to pass it through the bearings 17 in saidsleeves.

The retractor guide 12 is then secured to the inner end plate 6 bypassing the fingers 11 thereon through the slots 10 in said end plateuntil the lugs 14 and 15 engage the inner surface of said plate. Theguide is then moved forwardly relatively to the end plate to cause entryof the edges 10a of said slots 10 into the notches 13 in the legs 11.The retractor springs and the retractor 16 and its bearings are theninserted into the guide with the rollback platforms 16-a-16a thereonbehind the rollback portions 26-26 on the inner knob spindle which willretain said retractor in the guide against the tension of its springs.The outer end plate 7 is then secured to the retractor guide in the samemanner as the inner end plate. In assembled position, the washers 28-28will extend into the spaces between the legs of the retractor guide andthe end plates as illustrated in the drawings.

The entire latch operating mechanism above described is maintained inassembled position by means of a cupshaped cover housing 31 whichextends over the end plates and is secured thereto by means of tabs 32which are bent over the outer end plate 7 as clearly shown and describedin the above mentioned co-pending application.

It will be understood from Fig. 5, that the connection established bythe lugs 29-29 and the notches 27-27 permits angular pivotal movement ofthe spindle 21 relatively to its respective thrust washer 28 to therebypermit the proper alignment of the parts as they are assembled into thelatch operating mechanism. If, due to tolerance limitations encounteredduring manufacture, a slight misalignment of the bushing 17 and the endportion of the sleeve results, the knob spindle 21 will be tippedslightly towards the position illustrated in Fig. 5 as the knob shank 23is passed thereover and into the reduced bearing portion of the sleeveas the lock is assembled. This provision prevents binding of the thrustwasher 28 with the sides of the retractor guide 12 as it rotates withthe spindle, such as would occur if said washer were rigidly secured tothe spindle, and thereby assures free operation of the mechanism at alltimes.

It will thus be seen that the axial thrust exerted on the knob spindles,during manipulation thereof for withdrawing the retractor and openingthe door in which the mechanism is carried, is resisted by theengagement of the sides of the washer 28 with stationary portions of themechanism, thereby assuring free operation of the spindles.

It will be understood that the use of my novel thrust washer is notnecessarily limited to cylindrical door latch operating mechanisms,which have been disclosed herein for the purposes of illustration, butthat it could be adapted to various types of mechanisms withoutdeviating from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A door latch operating unit including a casing, retractor means insaid casing, a spindle rotatably carried by said casing, rollback meansoperable by said spindle for actuating said retractor means, a thrustwasher surrounding said spindle, abutment means in said unit preventinginward and outward movement of the thrust washer relatively thereto, andpivotal connecting means between said washer and said spindle preventingaxial separation of the spindle relatively to the washer, whereby saidwasher may pivot about an axis transversely of the longitudinal axis ofsaid spindle, said connecting means further having stop means preventingrotation of said washer about said spindle.

2. A door latch operating unit including a casing having an end wall, aspindle rotatably carried on said end wall, retractor means, rollbackmeans operable by said spindle for actuating said retractor means, athrust washer surrounding said spindle and engaging the inner surface ofsaid end wall to prevent outward movement of said washer relatively tosaid casing, a retractor guide in said casing for guiding said retractormeans, means spacing the side portions of said retractor guide from saidend wall, said side portions being engageable by the thrust washer toprevent inward movement thereof relatively to the casing, and pivotalconnecting means between said washer and said spindle preventing axialseparation of the spindle relatively to the washer, whereby said washermay pivot about an axis transversely of the longitudinal axis of saidspindle, said connecting means further having stop means preventingrotation of said washer about said spindle.

3. A door latch operating unit including a casing having an end wall, aU-shaped retractor guide in said casing; said guide including an upperand a lower leg, means spacing the side portions of a leg from said endwall, a retractor movable in said guide, a spindle rotatably carried onsaid end wall, rollback means operable by said spindle for actuatingsaid retractor, and a thrust washer secured to said spindle againstaxial movement relatively thereto and extending into the space betweenthe leg of the retractor guide and said end wall to prevent axialmovement of said spindle relatively to the casing.

4. A door latch operating unit including a casing having an end wall, aretractor guide in said casing, said guide including an upper and alower leg, means spacing the side portions of said legs from said endwall, a retractor movable in said guide, a spindle rotatably carried onsaid end wall, rollback means operable by said spindle for actuatingsaid retractor, a thrust washer surrounding said spindle and havingportions extending into the spaces between the leg portions of saidretractor guide and said end wall to retain said washer against axialmovement relatively to the casing, and pivotal connecting means betweensaid washer and said spindle preventing axial separation of the spindlerelatively to the washer, whereby said washer may pivot about an axistransversely of the longitudinal axis of said spindle, said connectingmeans further having stop means preventing rotation of said washer aboutsaid spindle.

5. A door latch operating unit including a casing, retractor means insaid casing, a spindle rotatably carried by said casing and having aninwardly directed segmental extension having opposite edges of generallyradially projecting portions providing rollback means for actuating saidretractor means; a thrust resisting member surrounding said spindlebehind said segmental extension and having portions engageable by theends of said projecting rollback portions whereby outward axialseparation of the spindle relatively to said member is prevented, andmeans preventing inward and outward movement of the said memberrelatively to the unit.

6, A door latch operating unit including a casing, retractor means insaid casing, a spindle rotatably carried by said casing and having asegmental portion extending therefrom, the said portion having oppositeedge portions bent outwardly beyond the periphery of the spindle toprovide rollback portions for operating said retractor means, a thrustwasher surrounding the spindle, means preventing inward and outwardmovement of said washer relatively to the casing, the said rollbackportions engaging the inner surface of the washer to prevent outwardaxial movement of said spindle relatively thereto, and means preventinginward axial movement of said spindle relatively to the washer.

7. A door latch operating unit including a casing, re-

tractor means in said casing, a spindle rotatably carried by said casingand having a portion thereof cut away to provide a segmental extensionwhose opposite edges are bent outwardly beyond the periphery of thespindle to provide rollbacks for actuating said retractor means; the endof said spindle adjacent each of said rollbacks being provided with anotch, a thrust washer surrounding said spindle and having radiallyprojecting lugs which extend into said notches and engage the end ofsaid spindle to prevent inward axial movement thereof relatively to thewasher; said rollback portions engaging the inner side of said washer toprevent outward axial movement of the spindle relatively thereto, andabutment means on opposite sides of the washer for preventing axialmovement of the washer relatively to said casing.

8. A door latch operating unit including a retractor guide, an inner andan outer end plate secured to the opposite sides of said guide andhaving co-axial tubular sleeves extending outwardly therefrom, meansspacing said end plates from the sides of said guide, a retractorslidably mounted in said guide, a spindle rotatably journaled in each ofsaid sleeves, a segmental extension on each of said spindles having itsopposite edges bent outwardly beyond the periphery of the spindle toprovide rollback portions for actuating said retractor; the ends of saidspindles adjacent said rollback portions being provided with a notch,and a thrust washer surrounding each of said spindles and disposedbetween the sides of said guide and said end plate; said thrust washerhaving radially projecting lugs which extend into the notches in itsrespective spindle to prevent inward axial movement of said spindlerelatively to the washer and said rollback portions being engageablewith said washer to prevent outward axial movement of the spindlerelatively thereto.

9. A door latch operating unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein theabutment means preventing inward movement of said thrust washercomprises a retractor guide including upper and lower legs having narrowside edges, the washer being in contact with the side edges of said legto thereby provide a minimum frictional resistance between said abutmentmeans and said stop washer when said spindle is pushed axially inwardlyand turned.

10. A door latch operating unit including a retractor guide having anupper and a lower leg portion, an end plate, means on said guide forsecuring the end plate thereto in spaced relation to the sides of saidleg portions, a retractor movable in said guide, a spindle rotatablycarried by said end plate, rollback means operable by said spindle foractuating said retractor, a thrust washer surrounding said spindle andhaving portions extending between the sides of said leg portions andsaid end plate whereby axial movement of said washer relatively to saidunit is prevented, and connecting means securing said spindle to saidwasher to prevent axial movement thereof relatively to said end plate,said connecting means providing a swivel connection accommodatingmisalignment between the spindle and washer.

Schlage Sept. 6, 1932 Arste Feb. 28, 1933

